Heartbeat (Todoroki X Bakugo X Reader X Midoriya)

Chapter 20

Ice. Power. Quirks.

I was entranced in the battle, my eyes darting from side to side as two of my friends, Deku and Todoroki, fought each other. The ice Deku blasted away from Todoroki sparkled in the air like glitter, though my concern for the green-haired boy grew due to his fingers condition. Each attack he unleashed cost him a broken finger, and Todorokis attacks weren't stopping anytime soon. I narrowed my eyes and leaned forward, picking up every detail and analyzing their actions.

"It started already!?" Kirishima asked, who just came back from recovery from his previous battle.

"Good job making it to the second round!" I said, giving him a smile and thumbs up.

He looked at me, then looked away. "Yeah. Thanks." He sat one row behind us beside Kaminari. Bakugo and I flashed confused looks, though I shrugged off his odd attitude and returned to the battle.

Deku's screams of pain made me wince, and I could see that his whole arm was now broken. I let out a short sigh. If only he could control his power... A sudden attack that seemed to be the finishing attack was launched towards Deku, who jerked his head up and blasted it away.

"You crazy bastard..." Bakugo muttered. My eyes were wide, and my eyebrows narrowed. He started using his broken fingers, his pain increasing, though he must've not felt it due to the adrenaline.

Deku balled his hand into a pained fist yelling, "Come at me with everything you've got!" A realization struck me. Todoroki wasn't using his left side during the whole tournament, in fact, ever since I met him, he hasn't used it, and he said something during the cavalry battle that implied he didn't want to use his left side. I clasped my hands together and rested my chin on top, trying to figure Todoroki out.

After Deku yelled that out, Todoroki charged at him. Bakugo put his hand to his mouth, clearly picking something up. I gave him a confused look, which he noticed and pointed at the battle.

"Todoroki's movements are slower." I gazed back at the red and white-haired male, analyzing his movements when I noticed it, frost covering his right side. That note was pushed to the back of my mind when Deku punched Todoroki right in the gut, blood decorating the concrete from either his broken bones or Todoroki taking the punch. Probably both.

The battle between the two went on, ice attacking power, power blocking the ice. Deku managed to land another blow to the stomach, which sent his opponent flying across the stage. This seemed to have awoken something inside of him because a whirl of flames erupted from his left side. Everyone seemed taken aback, his fire Quirk was just as amazing and powerful as his ice. So powerful and hot, everyone felt the warmth of the flames.

With both males powered up, they each launched a full-scale attack. My lungs were bursting with adrenaline, and I was practically off of my seat. As they got closer to each other, it seemed as though the concrete would break from the power.

They didn't make it. The supervisors, Cementoss and Midnight used their Quirks to stop the battle, knowing it was getting out of hand. A blast of wind from the collision of power fumed the arena. I raised my arm to protect my face and squinted through the smoke, trying to see who was victorious.

"M-Midoriya is out of bounds... Todoroki advances to the next round!" The astonishment and shock were clear in Midnight's voice, though I could barely focus on her announcement, and more on Deku, who was unconscious and slumped near the wall, his limbs clearly broken and purple.

I jumped out of my seat. "Deku!" My worry for him was sprouting like roots, and I rushed out of the area and towards the stage. I heard Bakugo calling out to me, but I ignored him and pounded my feet faster into the ground. I didn't have time to say sorry to those I knocked to the ground, but as I turned a corner, I bumped into someone so hard, we toppled over each other.

"(Y/N)?" I held my aching head before I realized I was on top of Todoroki, my hips straddling his, and my hands on his chest, one on bare skin due to his fire Quirk that burned off half of his shirt.

I was beet red in the face before I leaned down, gave him a quick hug, congratulations, and a sorry before stumbling to my feet and continuing on. I read the green direction signs hanging from the roof as fast as I could, relying on those and my memory of the one time I visited the medical room.

I arrived and slid the door open, though no one was there. Mentally cursing, I figured he was on his way here. I sprinted down the halls and finally came across two small robots carrying my green-haired friend on a stretcher.

"Deku!" My hand was out to touch him but was stopped by one of the bots.

"This patient is in critical condition. Please refrain from physical contact. For more information, contact Recovery Girl. Thank you." I balled my hand to a fist and resisted the urge to be near my injured friend, to give him comfort and reassurance, though him knowing he lost the battle wouldn't be much help.

Now that he was taken care of, I headed back with my hands in my pockets. I guess I was too slow to get back because two battles had already passed. The whole class stared at me with round eyes.

"(Y/N)! What are you doing here!? Your battle is going to start in less than a minute!"

"..."

"GO!"

I bolted back the way I came, running over more people and bumping into more walls. I ran out and onto the grassy field and to the stage, where Bakugo was waiting with his hands in his pockets, a scowl plastered on his face. I put my hands on my knees and panted for a few moments before I pressed my hands together and bowed to Midnight and Bakugo, trying to excuse my tardiness. How I had not noticed the announcements of the battles was beyond me, though that wasn't the right thought to have at that second, because I had a feeling I was about to get my ass beat.